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November 5, 2018

The Church of Saint Theodore the Tiro in the Sphorakion District of Constantinople


The Church of Saint Theodore the Tiro in the Sphorakion district of Constantinople was built in the mid-fifth century by the patrician Sphorakios, who was consul in 452. Just north of the Church of Hagia Sophia and the Forum of Constantine, it was one of the richest districts in Constantinople with large villas and palaces. The church was built on the site of an earlier chapel, and it was the first church dedicated to Saint Theodore in Constantinople. Inside the church was a chapel dedicated to Saint John the Forerunner, where his feasts were greatly celebrated. The church also served as an important school in the district. In the Patmian Codex 266, as well as other sources, it says that the consecration of the Church of Saint Theodore the Tiro in the Sphorakion is commemorated by the Orthodox Church on November 5.